How Does Miller Create Dramatic Tension In Each Of The Four Acts Of The Crucible? Essay - 1,495 words

In the 17th century a group of Puritans from England immigrated to America to escape persecution for their religious beliefs. The white settlers arrived in New England in 1620, and Salem, Massachusetts had been in existence for about forty years by 1692. Salem developed as a theocracy. This was based on the coexistence of religious prayer and hard work. Entertainment, such as dancing, or any enjoyment at all was perceived as a sin. The isolation of the Puritan society created a rigid social system that did not allow for any variation in lifestyle.


The Puritans felt insecure with the knowledge of the Native Americans in the forest. They felt persecuted and constantly under attack. Abigail mentions her past when she says that she witnessed, Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine. Throughout the play it is apparent that the community becomes more divided. In the beginning there were arguments about ownership of land between some of the villagers. As the story progresses people fear for their own safety and begin accusing their neighbours of witchcraft in order to escape being hanged. HALE 'They have confessed it.' PROCTOR 'And why not, if they must hang for denyin'it? There are them that will swear to anything before they'll hang; This is like when Abigail accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft so that she will know that there will be a clear path to John Proctor whom she had an affair with and now is in love with.


Salem becomes overrun by the hysteria of witchcraft. Mere suspicion itself was accepted as evidence. As a God-fearing community, they could not think of denying the evidence, because to deny the existence of Evil is to deny the existence of Goodness; which is God. A crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure element from dross or impurities. This definition is easily connected to the play. To start with, witches supposedly use cauldrons to brew their magic potions, and a synonym for cauldron is crucible.


Not only do witches use cauldrons, but the word crucible also could have some metaphorical meaning. The actions in Salem were like that in a brewing cauldron, there were many heated arguments, and people were being stirred and mixed around like a vile potion. The plays central theme is the spiritual development of John Proctor. He changed from thinking solely about himself to thinking about who was in need most beside himself. He is made better and purified. The story illustrates how people react to mass hysteria, created by a person or group of people desiring fame, as people did during the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s. Many Americans were wrongly accused of being communist sympathisers.


The activities of the House Un-American Activities Committee began to be linked with the witchcraft trials that had taken place in the town of Salem. This provided Miller with the catalyst to write the crucible. Arthur Miller himself was called before the committee in 1956. He found himself I the same dilemma as John Proctor, as a hero. He was asked to name people who had attended a meeting in the past. He refused to do so and was fined for contempt of Congress. Miller claimed it was the courageous thing to do in those circumstances.


Without the knowledge of the McCarthy hearings The Crucible could be seen as a melodrama and the events in the play may be sensationalised. It is not a melodrama because it is not overdramatic. The McCarthy hearings add realism. The play deals with historical events and with characters that had an historical context. Through the use of dialogue, stage directions which enable us to envisage what is going on the stage, and characterisation we can see how the dramatic tension is created by Miller. These aspects are to be explored for each act. Act one begins with Reverend Parris praying over his daughter, Betty Parris, who lies unconscious on her bed.


Parris is frightened and angered that the doctor can find no explanation for Bettys illness in his books. He turns on Abigail and confronts her and through the conversation between Reverend Parris and his niece Abigail Williams, the audience learns that these girls, including Abigail and Betty, were engaged in ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: arthur miller, miller, tension, john proctor, the crucible

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